PETALING JAYA: After four years apart, men’s doubles shuttler Wan Arif Wan Junaidi will reunite with former partner Mohd Haikal Nazri at the Syed Modi International in India from Nov 24-29.
The reunion is part of the ongoing reshuffle being carried out by men’s doubles head coach Herry Iman Pierngadi as he continues to assess different combinations.
Herry said both Arif and Haikal have already been tested with several partners in recent months, and he believes it is worth giving the pair another chance together.
"Arif has already been tried with Kang Khai Xing and recently with Faiq Masawi. We have been looking at all the combinations," he said.
"Among all the players, Arif and Haikal are the most senior. In terms of their individual quality, both are good players, so why not try them together again and see how it goes?" said Herry.
Whether Arif-Haikal will remain together on a permanent basis will depend on how they perform in the upcoming tournaments.
They have also been entered for the Guwahati Masters, also in India, from Dec 1-6.
"We will only know after the tournaments. We cannot say anything yet. We have to see how they perform," added Herry.
"Things were different before. They had a different coach and perhaps a slightly different playing style, so that is one factor as well."
Arif-Haikal had been together since their junior days and reached a career-high world ranking of No. 38.
They also won several titles together, with their biggest achievement coming at the Orleans Masters in 2022.
However, they were split up eight months later and paired with different partners as the national men’s doubles set-up underwent a reshuffle following the temporary separation of Goh Sze Fei-Nur Izzuddin Rumsani, who were still part of the national set-up at the time.
